Hydrocephalus, familiarly known as water on the brain, is an affliction which affects many people, including children. One of the symptoms of this serious malady is increased fluid pressure on the brain of the victim, which, unless relieved, can result in excruciating pain, and can potentially cause brain damage to the victim.
Hydrocephalus causes a slow, continuous build-up of fluid pressure on the brain. More specifically, in a patient afflicted with hydrocephalus, excess body fluid slowly and continuously accumulates between the ventricles of the brain. To extract the excess body fluid from between the ventricles of the brain and thereby relieve the fluid pressure on the brain, techniques have been developed for establishing a pathway for fluid communication from the area of accumulated fluid to an area external to the cranial cavity.
As an example of one such well-known technique, a long, slender catheter known as a "shunt" is advanced through a small entry site in the neck of a patient who is afflicted with hydrocephalus, and a distal end segment of the shunt is positioned between the ventricles of the brain. The end of the shunt that is opposite to the distal end segment is positioned in the chest cavity of the patient. Typically, a plurality of small holes are formed in the distal end segment of the shunt, and fluid that accumulates in the brain enters the holes and drains through the shunt into the chest cavity of the patient, thereby relieving the fluid pressure on the brain.
Unfortunately, the small holes in the distal end segment of the shunt can become clogged, thereby impeding the draining of excess fluid from the cranial cavity. More specifically, a portion of the brain known as the choroid plexus can grow into the holes of the distal end segment of the shunt and clog the holes. When this occurs, it is necessary to remove the shunt from the brain and replace the shunt with another unclogged shunt.
The clogged shunt, however, cannot simply be pulled out of the brain, with portions of the choroid plexus still attached to it, without risking damage to the brain. Thus, when a shunt becomes clogged, it is necessary to perform a relatively invasive surgical procedure to gain access to the distal end segment of the shunt and gently cut away the ingrown portions of the choroid plexus. Not surprisingly, it is desireable to avoid performing invasive procedures on the brain, to avoid undue risk of brain damage and infection, and to reduce overall patient discomfort.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a device for separating ingrown portions of the brain from a shunt that has been positioned in the brain to relieve hydrocephalus. It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for separating ingrown portions of the brain from a shunt without recourse to relatively invasive surgery. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device for separating ingrown portions of the brain from a shunt which is easy to use and cost-effective to manufacture.